His name, Chase Reed, says it all. That’s because chase Reed is what Boyd-Buchanan’s opponents do every Friday night.
Howard (2-0) is the team hoping to do as little chasing as possible tonight when the Hustlin’ Tigers play the Buccaneers at Boyd-Buchanan at 7:30.
Reed looks to be next in a long line of productive runners to play high school football for the Bucs since they had their first undefeated regular season 16 years ago. Most have been tailbacks, but that’s not necessarily the case with Reed.
He has lined up before as the deep back in an I-formation – he was the backup to 1,000-yard rusher Ben Beasley last season – but coach Grant Reynolds decided to tweak the offense this year to better fit the Bucs’ personnel. Former University of Tennessee at Chattanooga assistant Carter Caldwell is doing the coordinating.
“I don’t believe we have an I tailback like a 6-1, 190-pound guy you can line up back there and run a bunch of times,” Reynolds said. “We do have some pretty good little scatbacks and a good fullback.”
The 5-foot-9, 170-pound Reed is one of those scatbacks, and through three games – two of them Bucs victories – he leads the team in rushing yards, kickoff return yards, punt return yards and touchdowns. With 56 receiving yards, he’s one behind team leader Jim Cardwell.
Reed is averaging 156.3 all-purpose yards per game. He’s also kicked four extra points to go with his seven touchdowns, giving him 46 points scored this season.
“You’ve got to respect your line,” Reed said. “You’ve got to give them credit for scoring touchdowns. It’s not always just you.”
Sophomore John Hale (5-8, 155) is similar to Reed in that he could line up beside quarterback Clayton Parker or as a slot receiver. His 33-yarder is the longest gain on a reception for Boyd-Buchanan this season, and he also returns kickoffs and punts.
Rounding out the backfield is fullback Hayden Meadows (5-10, 225). When Reynolds says, “He’s actually getting a little more love than he’s had in the past,” he means the senior is not required to block as often on plays as in the I-formation days. His 30 carries lead the team.
“Hayden is good at just running the ball between the tackles,” Reynolds said. “He’s always going forward.”
Graduating 17 seniors off last year’s Class 2A state runner-up can’t be an easy thing to overcome, but maybe the Bucs’ altered offensive philosophy will help. The reigning District 5-A champions expect their ground game to help them stand their ground.
“I think we can make another run,” Reed said. “We may have lost a lot of people, but we didn’t lose everybody. We still have some good skill around here. We’ve just got to put it to use.”